EDC 102H F11 Context Reports
Community Data Worksheet - Census Data

Community: Central Falls

Zip Code: 02863

Authors: Junie Coelho, Jacob Ricci

I. Community Data Collection

A. Income Poverty Data

Year data collected:

	Community	Rhode Island	United States
Median household income	33,520	55,569	$51,425
Median family income	37,877	62,363	$62,363
Per capita income	15,094	28,638	$26.059
Families below poverty level	25.4%	8.1%	9.9%
Individuals below poverty level	27.8%	11.6%	13.5%
In Labor Force	13,816	566,918	65%
Not in Labor Force	5,165	285,531
Civilian Employed Population (16 and over)	7,190	523,367
Percent Unemployed	7.4%	7.1%

B. Race and Ethnicity Data

Year data collected: 2005

ACS Demographic Estimates	Central Falls	Rhode Island	U.S.
White	67.3%	82.8%	74.5%
Black/African Americans	10.9%	5.5%	12.4%
Asian	0.3%	2.7%	4.4%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)	60.2%	11.4%	15.1%
American Indian or Alaska Native	0.2%	0.4%	0.8%
Native Hawaiian & Other Pacific Islander	0.0%	0.0%	0.1%
Some other race	17.6%	6.6%	5.6%
One race	96.3%	98.0%	97.8%
Two or more races	3.7%	2.0%	2.2%

II. Narrative Description of Community

According to the demographic estimates conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, Central Falls is an immensely ethnically-diverse area. This city has large quantities of different nationalities, meaning that there is no remarkable majority of any race. The percentages of minority groups in Central Falls are generally higher than those of the state of Rhode Island. Although there is a great deal of diversity, Central Falls' highest percentage of the races is White (67.3%), closely followed by the Hispanic population (60.2%). These percentages may overlap in the biracial ethnicities or mixed races of the residents. The percentage of Whites is a bit lower than the percentages in Rhode Island and the U.S. Also, the percentage of Hispanics and Latinos is significantly greater than the state's (11.4%) and the country's (15.1%). Overall, the major races in this area are: White, Hispanic, and Black. Almost half of the population is foreign-born, which may indicate an immigrant population living in this area. There are very small percentages of Asians, American Indians, and Native Hawaiians in this region. There is however, a noteworthy 17.6% of the inhabitants who fall under the category of "some other race."

Central Falls is a densely populated city, which has one of the lowest economic standings in Rhode Island. From the data provided by the Census Bureau, it is apparent that the city is substantially below the economic standing of not only Rhode Island, but the United States as a whole. Nationwide, the median household income is approximately $51,000, with a median family income of $62,000. In Rhode Island, these same figures average $55,000 and $62,000. For Central Falls, these figures are substantially lower at approximately $33,500 median household income and 38,000 median family income. The figures demonstrate the drastic difference in the economic standing of Central Falls from both Rhode Island and the United States. The difference of $20-30,000 is huge. Central Falls being densely populated means that this is not just a small town with small school needs that could potentially suffice on a significantly lower income, but rather is a city in a dire situation. The large population and low income means that the school system is dealing with a large volume of students with a small budget. This invariably means that the quality of education will be lower. In Central Falls, there is over a quarter of the populace that is below the poverty level. The families of students do not have money to put towards education in the manner of parents and families in other communities around the state and the country. This is compounded by a high unemployment rate, nearly 7.5%. Overall, the economic standing of Central Falls is such that the education of students in the Central Falls school system is invariably affected in a negative way.